IU Bloomington Lab Discovers Key to Antibiotic Resistance

Researchers find molecule that helps viruses overcome bacteria's immune defenses

Jan. 31, 2026 at 2:15am

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Researchers at Indiana University Bloomington's Gerdt Lab have discovered a chemical molecule that, when paired with bacteriophages (viruses that attack bacteria), can help the viruses overcome a bacteria's immune system defenses. This finding could lead to new ways to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which pose a major global health threat.

Why it matters

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing crisis, as bacteria and fungi evolve defenses against drugs designed to kill them. The Gerdt Lab's discovery of a molecule that can inhibit a bacteria's immune system could provide a new tool to fight back against antibiotic-resistant pathogens, which cause many deadly hospital-acquired infections.

The details

The Gerdt Lab studies how to weaken bacteria's defenses against viruses. Former lab member Zhiyu Zang discovered a chemical molecule that, when paired with bacteriophages, helps the viruses overwhelm a bacteria's immune system. This finding was published in the journal Cell Host and Microbe. While antibiotics will likely remain the first line of defense for human bacterial infections, the Gerdt Lab's discovery could be applied in agriculture, where antibiotic overuse has worsened the spread of antibiotic resistance.

  • The Gerdt Lab's discovery was published in January 2026.

The players

J.P. Gerdt

Assistant professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington and head of the Gerdt Lab.

Zhiyu Zang

Former member of the Gerdt Lab who is now a post-doctoral candidate at the Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne.

Olivia Duncan

Undergraduate who worked in the Gerdt Lab and is now a Ph.D. student at Cornell University.

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What they’re saying

“Bacteria get sick, too. Our lab tries to understand how their immune systems work so we can figure out how to inhibit them.”

— J.P. Gerdt, Assistant professor of chemistry (Mirage News)

“Our study is important not just because we found the first example of a small molecule that can inhibit a bacteria's immune system. It's also important because the immune system we're studying in this paper is present in around 2,000 different bacteria species.”

— Zhiyu Zang, Post-doctoral candidate (Mirage News)

“Our goal is to have a collection of inhibitors that will work for different immune systems. We hope that this paper will be a catalyst for other labs to work on this with us as a community. That's what makes this paper so exciting: We're starting something new and seeing where it takes off.”

— J.P. Gerdt, Assistant professor of chemistry (Mirage News)

What’s next

The Gerdt Lab hopes to create a library of inhibitors for different bacteria species over the next 10-15 years, which could lead to new ways to combat antibiotic-resistant infections in both humans and agriculture.

The takeaway

The Gerdt Lab's discovery of a molecule that can inhibit a bacteria's immune system represents a promising new approach to fighting the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance, which the CDC has identified as a major global public health concern.